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How to Hire an AWS Developer?

Written By
Prabhash Bachhuwan

AWS (Amazon Web Services) is one of the most in-demand cloud-based platforms that offer secure services such as database storage, compute power, content delivery, and other capabilities that help businesses scale and grow. It can also be used to host services on a private network which means one can simply communicate with the resources in the same network without the need for Internet connection.

However, to make that possible, businesses need to have dedicated professionals with the ability to deploy code 30 times faster than the competitors. They should not only have extensive knowledge of Python and Linux but also about the key components of AWS such as Route 53 (A DNS web service), simple Email service, and Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2).

But how to hire such skilled candidates when the market is flooded with a huge number of developers?

One of the best ways to hire the intellectual developers is that start looking for candidates who have a tremendous knowledge of AWS as well as DevOps tools. When we say DevOps, it means the combination of cultural philosophies, practices, and tools that are used to improve the organization’s ability to deliver applications at a faster pace.

These services not only simplify the deployment of application code and automation of the software release processes but also monitors the application and infrastructure performance.

According to the Linux Foundation Report, around 60% of hiring managers are looking to fill AWS engineers positions quickly! In fact, if you’ll search on Google, you’ll get to know about how demanding the market is for AWS engineers.

Therefore, it is advisable to add a filter in your search and look for candidates with AWS DevOps skills. Here are some competencies you should be looking for in a candidate.

Competencies

1. Inventory and Configuration Tracking of AWS Resources

Inventory and Configuration Tracking are the most important skills that you need to take care of while hiring AWS DevOps engineers. They should know how a resource was configured in the past using a detailed inventory of the current configuration of AWS resources. They should have extensive knowledge of using predefined managed AWS rules so that they can easily evaluate AWS resource compliance.

2. Coordination and Management of Changes to AWS Resources

Another important competency AWS developer must-have is that they should have good command over cloud formation, create, modify, and terminate collections of AWS resources using pre-defined and reusable infrastructure templates. Having knowledge of AWS service catalog is a plus as it helps organizations to create and manage catalogs of IT services that are approved for use on AWS.

Developers must know how to deploy and scale web applications and also to integrate additional AWS services like Amazon RDS or Amazon ElastiCache. Tools including AWS OpsWorks that helps to integrate additional AWS services such as Elastic Load Balancing and Amazon RDS instances are extremely necessary for organizations dealing with AWS. therefore, developers need to be experienced enough in handling such tools.

3. OS and Application Stack Management

The developers should be able to work on managed services of AWS such as AWS Elastic Beanstalk which is used for deploying infrastructure and AWS OpsWorks is used to automate, configure, deploy, and manage servers and stacks across AWS. These skills are crucial to working on AWS. Hiring managers need to look for such skills while recruiting developers as they help you move to the cloud and scale automation across your organization.

4. Partners and Third-Party Tools

Look for candidates who are good at configuring and integrating third-party tools to provide additional capabilities. Some of the common third-party tools of AWS are Chef, Puppet, Ansible, and Salt. Others are as follows:

Stack-Level Tools: Used to evaluate pre-defined template repositories that are applicable to the organization’s stack configuration requirements and OS.

HashiCorp Terraform: Used to separate infrastructure deployment planning from the execution phase.

Topologies - Developer must be able to determine whether to use push or pull model based on requirements.

Critical Skills

1. Full-Fledged Knowledge of Tools and Technologies

New tools and technologies are introduced almost every day whether you are into any software development processes. That’s the reason, it becomes important for AWS DevOps engineers to have a broad understanding of new tools, they should be able to generate new ideas, and welcome new challenges to grow and scale their organization.

2. Security Training

Although combining development and operations together is a great way to streamline processes and for a faster cycle, it also brings a lot of vulnerabilities. Therefore, DevOps engineers must be capable of writing secure code to protect applications from malware, as well as defend against common cybersecurity threats.

3. Testing

It is extremely crucial for an AWS DevOps engineer to have advanced testing skills. Automation of code and its deployment can be an unsettling process sometimes, but with proper testing, each function can remain intact along with the implementation of new features.

4. Collaboration

A skilled developer is able to help team members, identify bottlenecks and resolve them quickly. The developers should know how to work in collaboration with other team members so that the entire team can move ahead.

Interview Questions Hrs Need to Ask Candidates While Recruitment

Q. Have you ever faced a stressful situation on Job? How did you handle it?

This question will help you know what critical situations the candidate can handle and whether they are able to deal with it gracefully.

Q. Did you come across a major obstacle while completing any project in your past companies? How did you deal with it?

You should look for candidate’s capability to adapt to changes when things go unplanned. They should be able to describe a situation that includes actions they have taken to overcome the obstacle.

Q. Did you ever worked in a multidisciplinary team where tech and non-tech members were involved? If not, would you like to and why?

Asking this question will help you understand whether the candidate likes to work with a person with a non-technical background or seek feedback in order to learn and grow more.

Q. Tell me some projects on which you’ve worked and you feel most proud of? What did you do to make it worth?

Expect an answer that gives you insights about their work and value, and how they perceive their own work. This question will also help you know their personality traits.

Q. With what programming languages you are comfortable? Also, describe your experience working with them?

You may not be so techy to judge the candidate for their answer, but you can still find out about their skill set and the level of confidence they have in working with those technologies. You can also couple this question with a coding test.

Wrapping Up

There are “n” number of jobs out there for AWS DevOps developer/engineer. More opportunities will bring more candidates and more competition with them. Therefore, it becomes crucial for hiring managers to filter their search by adding more skills to their job description and shortlist candidates who have good command in AWS and related areas. Also, do not forget to seek out whether the candidates are interested in learning new technologies or not. This way, you can not only find out the right talent for your organization but can also work towards growing and scaling your company.